Biswa Bangla products see spurt in demand after GI tag
Kolkata: After acquiring the Geographical Indication (GI) tag of Bengal, demand for Biswa Bangla products such as Dokra, Santiniketan leather, Nakshi kantha (embroidered quilt) and other handicrafts have witnessed a spurt in demand.
“Sales from the Biswa Bangla Stores have grown by about 8 per cent in this financial year over the last year. So far in this fiscal, Dokra worth about Rs 1.60 crore, Baluchari of about Rs 1.40 crore, and Kantha worth about Rs 1.10 crore have already been purchased by connoisseurs from the Biswa Bangla stores only,” a senior official of state MSME department said. Sale of Jamdani, Santipuri, Baluchari, among the other traditional handloom textiles has increased. Biswa Bangla, a state enterprise under the Department of MSME and Textiles, is focused on quality improvement, design development and product diversification of handloom textiles, handicrafts and heritage delicacies of the state.
Over time, the initiative has not only helped increase the income of the skilled handloom weavers and traditional artisans of the state, but also has been able to address the issue of the seasonality of their income by sustaining production throughout the year. Biswa Bangla is reaching out to more artisan communities in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Bankura, Jhargram, Purulia among the other districts so that the creative and enterprising artisans in the hills and in Jangalmahal can benefit substantially from its strategic marketing interventions. The stores at the NSCBI Airport, Kolkata (both domestic and international terminals), Bagdogra airport, Park Street, Dhakuria (Dakshinapan), City Centre-Salt Lake, Darjeeling and New Delhi witnessed steady growth in customers amid steep competition from machine-made products of reputed brands. A kiosk at Sealdah Railway Station was set up recently to cater to the passengers.
Its portal www.biswabangla.in has also helped increase demand for the Sunderban Honey, Darjeeling Tea and Kasundi among the other heritage delicacies from across the country, especially from Maharashtra, Karnataka, New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, etc.
